in the silence of the snowfall
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: "He murmured 'I love you's' into her skin as she calmed down, her hand finding his and intertwining their fingers; giving it a squeeze she felt him begin his thrusts again, deep and hard and long and god this was what she had missed- them, moving together, in-sync and comfortable and able to communicate through touches and moans and gasps." Mark/Elizabeth, tag to 7Ep14. One-shot.


A/N: I really, really enjoyed the intro into the episode 'A Walk in the Woods' (S7Ep14); seeing the Peter/Cleo, Mark/Elizabeth, Kerry/Kim, and Abby/Luka scenes was wonderful. I was attached to the incredibly cute Mark/Elizabeth scene (of course), and I just had to elaborate.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own these characters.

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They didn't make love that much anymore.

Mark was tired, and she was tired, and he was asleep before she got in bed, and she was in the shower before he woke up. Elizabeth had accepted it, but there was a near constant ache inside her since she'd hit her second trimester, and she missed her fiancé. She missed the closeness of regular intimacy.

She didn't hold it against Mark, obviously; he hadn't _asked_ for a brain tumor.

But this morning, they lay intertwined together in the warmth of their bed, his head on her chest and his lips brushing her belly, their baby moving underneath his palms as snow fell outside, and the ache between her thighs was increasing steadily.

"Last day," she murmured, running her fingertips lightly over the scar across the top of his head, feeling her heart clench in her chest.

"Last day," he repeated, palm warm and heavy and reassuring against the swell of her belly. Elizabeth brushed her fingers over his scalp again before releasing a small sigh that couldn't be held in anymore; she brought her hand to her face, swallowing to try to reign in her emotions. It had been such a long couple of months, full of worry and stress and distance. She just wanted it _over_.

"What?" Mark asked softly, hand running over her stomach gently, his chin resting between her breasts. She shook her head, pressing her fingers against her forehead and keeping her eyes closed, taking another breath. Mark shifted slightly, his thumb running just along the curve of her belly as he leaned forward, meeting her eyes when she opened them. "It's okay."

She searched his eyes for a moment before she nodded, releasing the breath she'd been holding. Mark's eyes were wide and green and honest, and she gave him a half-smile as he closed the distance between them, kissing her softly. What started off as a few small pecks gradually turned into deeper kisses; she released a tiny whimper into his mouth, trying to shift her hips to cradle him between her thighs, moaning when her belly got in the way.

"Slow down," Mark murmured against her neck, hands tugging her shirt up the rest of the way; she sat up and let him toss it away, pulling him into another kiss, tongue sweeping into his mouth, desperate for the taste of him. He responded easily, hands sliding up her side and brushing the sides of her breasts; she broke the kiss and moaned, the skin sensitive to his touch as he circled her nipples and pinched lightly before moving down, cupping her through the thin panties she wore.

"Mark," she whimpered, rocking her hips into his hand, biting her lip and pressing her head back into the pillow, letting out a soft gasp when his thumb found her clit and pressed down hard. He hushed her gently, mouthing over her jaw and neck as he tugged at the panties, sliding his fingers into her slick heat easily as she spread her legs, gasping as she rocked her hips. "Please, Mark, please I want you. Not your fingers, _you_, I've missed _you_ inside me."

Mark groaned against her neck, turning her on her side as he tugged at his boxers, pressing his chest against her back; he was hard and hot against her back and she moaned, pushing back against him. He pressed kisses to the back of her neck, working his way down to the spot between her shoulders she loved; he nipped at the bones that jutted out when she flexed in pleasure, his name escaping her lips again, practically begging this time.

Mark grasped her thigh and lifted it, slotting his hips in between hers and sliding inside of her, a sigh of relief running between both of them.

"You feel- so good," Mark gasped, pressing his head into the spot between her shoulders, his breath hot against her skin. She moaned out a noise of agreement, one hand gripping his hip tightly, the other fisted in the sheets as she rocked her hips back against his. The friction was almost too much; it had been a long time and she was already on edge.

"Close," she rasped out, feeling his hand slide from where it was holding her hip to between her thighs, his thumb finding her clit and flicking over it, eliciting a sob from her, her hips opening a little wider to allow him more room to work.

"Let go," he whispered in her ear, voice tight as his lips brushed the hull of her ear, stubble scratching against her softer skin. She tilted her head to allow him access to her neck, and he sank his teeth into her neck as she came with a keening sob, his name escaping her lips with a flood of other incoherent words. He murmured 'I love you's' into her skin as she calmed down, her hand finding his and intertwining their fingers; giving it a squeeze she felt him begin his thrusts again, deep and hard and long and _god_ this was what she had missed- them, moving together, in-sync and comfortable and able to communicate through touches and moans and gasps.

Mark came with a grunt and she was pulled in again; his skin was hot and sticky against hers but Elizabeth never wanted to move- it felt like heaven on earth.

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and pulled out with a sigh; Elizabeth rolled onto her other side so she could face him, her belly pressing against his. He pulled her into a proper kiss and she melted into it; he nipped at her lower lip as his hands rested protectively against her belly.

"I have to shower so I can go to work," Elizabeth murmured against his mouth, not sounding as though she particularly wanted to go. Mark smiled into the kiss, tangling one hand in her hair.

"What if I joined you in that shower?" he asked, voice low-pitched and husky, and Elizabeth gave a low moan.

"I'm going to be late," she replied, allowing him to help her sit up.

She didn't sound particularly upset at that prospect.


End file.
